Reid threatens to keep Senate in for jobs bills

By SCOTT WONG

10/17/2011 04:05 PM EDT

Senate Republicans looking forward to next week’s recess shouldn’t get their hopes up.

Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday threatened to keep the Senate in session next week to ensure Democrats get a vote on a piece of the president’s jobs package that would provide $35 billion in state aid to save or create 400,000 education, police and firefighter jobs.

This week, the Senate will be wrestling with a fiscal year 2012 spending bill that provides funding for the agriculture, commerce, justice, science, transportation and housing parts of the budget. Reid wants to turn to the first jobs bill after that.

“We cannot wait to create jobs. That is why I will bring this bill up for a vote as soon as possible. … I am happy to keep the Senate in session as long as we need to make sure we get a vote on this jobs bill,” the Nevada Democrat told reporters on a conference call. “I hope my Republican colleagues will not put their desire to play political games or go home next week ahead of our responsibility to create jobs and get our economy back on track.”

Republicans and two Democrats filibustered President Barack Obama’s $445 billion jobs package last week, forcing Democratic leaders to break the legislation into pieces. Reid indicated he’d like to hold a vote on a different piece of the jobs package each week.

The $35 billion bill would create or save 300,000 teaching jobs and 100,000 first responder jobs, Reid said. It would be paid for with a 0.5 percent surtax on those earning more than $1 million a year, similar to Reid’s proposal to pay for the entire Obama jobs plan.

Republicans have balked at any proposal that raises taxes, though they do like some parts of the Obama jobs plan.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said on Fox News Sunday the lower chamber, which is in recess this week, is expected to vote next week on a proposal similar to one in Obama’s plan: repealing a requirement that government contractors have 3 percent of their payments withheld for tax purposes.

Obama’s plan would delay the requirement until the end of 2013.

“Despite the president’s ‘us vs. them’ rhetoric, we continue to look for areas of common ground to help get our economy moving again and create jobs,” Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, said in an email.